A Great Upstate Rivalry Comes to Schoellkopf Field

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• Cornell takes on a Syracuse team ranking in the top 5 on Tuesday, April 2 in Ithaca, N.Y. in one of upstate New York's oldest rivalries. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
• Cornell, which entered the preseason polls ranked seventh, finds itself at No. 12 and No. 13 in the major men's lacrosse polls (USILA Coaches Poll, Inside Lacrosse Media Poll).
• Cornell boasts Division I's second-best shot percentage, scoring on 36.5 percent of shots taken. Nonconference opponent Notre Dame leads the country and shoots less than two percent more accurately than the Big Red.
• The Big Red also ranks fourth in scoring offense and points per game. Cornell averages 15.38 goals per game and 24.25 points per game so far this season.
• Syracuse enters the contest at 9-3, including wins over ranked opponents Colgate, Johns Hopkins, Delaware, and Duke. In the last two contests, the Orange in is 1-1, securing a 13-7 win over Hobart on the road, and falling by two on the road against Notre Dame.
• Cornell concluded the 2023 season ranked seventh nationally in scoring offense, tallying 14.80 goals per game. The Big Red also ranked sixth in groundballs per game, averaging 36.67, and 14th nationally in caused turnovers per game (9.40). Cornell had the nation's 10th-best scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 3.53 goals per game.
• The Big Red boasts four preseason All-Americans; CJ Kirst, Jack Follows, Hugh Kelleher, and Christopher Davis.
• Cornell returns the 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year and 2023 Ivy Player of the Year, CJ Kirst. The now-senior notched 65 goals and 84 points for the Big Red last year. The goal total was good for the most by a junior in Big Red history.

THE SERIES 
Overall: Syracuse leads the series, 66-41-1
In Ithaca, N.Y.: Syracuse leads, 30-21-1
Current Streak: Cornell, one game
Last Meeting: Cornell won, 16-15 (OT) on April 11, 2022, in Syracuse, N.Y.
Buczek vs. Syracuse: 1-0
Series Notes: 

• Syracuse owns the all-time series, but Cornell has a 4-2 edge in the last six meetings. The Big Red took the last meeting in overtime with a monumental comeback, erasing a six-goal deficit on the way to a 16-15 victory.
• Prior to the gap of last year, the rivalry was one of the longest annually contested meetings, dating back to the 1979 season.

A WIN OVER SYRACUSE WOULD ... 
• Improve Cornell's record to 6-3 on the season.
• Mark the fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
• Move Cornell's win total in the series to 42.
• Mark the second consecutive win in the series for the Big Red.
• Be the 805th win in program history (804-498-27 in 128 seasons, .615).

LAST TIME OUT: Penn 11, Cornell 10 (2 OT)
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE l GALLERY l HIGHLIGHTS
• One of the top offenses and one of the top defenses in the nation met at Franklin Field on Saturday afternoon. It took regulation and nearly two full overtime periods, but the defense emerged victorious with #14 Penn edging #7 Cornell, 11-10.
• The win moves Penn into sole possession of first in the Ivy League with a 10-3 (3-0 Ivy) record, while Cornell drops to 5-3 (2-1 Ivy).
• Cornell's attack was led by senior CJ Kirst, who posted a team-high four goals, four groundballs, and a caused turnover.
• Hugh Kelleher, Michael Long, and AJ Nikolic followed. Nikolic tallied two goals in the contest, while Long and Kelleher each recorded a goal and an assist.
• Marc Psyllos went 12-for-22 at the faceoff X and caused a turnover, and freshman goalkeeper Matthew Tully made 11 saves for a .500 save percentage.
• Penn's attack lay on the shoulders of Cam Rubin, who tallied six goals on 13 shots.
• James Shipley followed with three points on a goal and two assists.
• Griffin Scane and Casey Mulligan rounded out the multi-point scorers with two goals and two assists, respectively.
• Netminder Emmet Carroll posted 17 saves in the contest.
• CJ Kirst now stands alone as Cornell's fifth all-time point scorer with 200 and is tied for the third most goals in a Cornell career with 147. Former teammate John Piatelli shares the spot.

Photos by Dave Burbank, Madison Epperson, Eldon Lindsay, and Darl Zehr.